Students target of new housing

BUSINESS

A company that creates apartment complexes geared toward college students has identified Angelo State University as a "hot spot" for growth.

Campus Crest Communities plans to open a 504-bed complex with 192 two- and three-bedroom apartments in time for the fall semester, said Jamie Rice, director of marketing and student lifestyle for the company.

Bulldozers are clearing land at 4225 S. Jackson St. to make way for the apartments. The project is expected to cost $10 million and cover 32 acres, according to a presentation last spring to the city's Planning Commission.

The complex, called The Grove, will offer fully furnished apartments that lease by the bed, with high-speed Internet and utilities included in the rent.

"We call it fully loaded college living," said area manager Nicole McAuliffe, mentioning the coffee bistro, library, pool and fitness center that the complex will offer.

The concept of The Grove is much like that of Angelo Place Apartments, which also markets toward college students, is fully furnished and leases by the bed. But McAuliffe said The Grove isn't worried about the competition - she said students will go to the facility that appeals to them most.

"We want to aid in the growth of the university," McAuliffe said.

Rice said The Grove is marketed toward students looking for the next step in college housing beyond living on campus. The Grove holds weekly activities, such as political debates and Tae Bo workout sessions.

Campus Crest operates 18 other apartment complexes that target college students and is building eight more, including the San Angelo location, that will open in August, Rice said.

Angelo Place Apartments has already tested the waters in San Angelo with student-geared housing.

Opal Tribble, property manager at Angelo Place, said she is pleased so far with the number of occupants at Angelo Place. The facility has 480 beds, and about 80 percent are filled.

"Quite a few students don't like to live in dorms," Tribble said.

Angelo Place Apartments has characteristics in common with The Grove and will view them as direct competition, Tribble said.

Angelo Place distinguishes itself from the competition by encouraging and giving residents opportunities to get involved with charity organizations, Tribble said.

It isn't a requirement to be a student to live at Angelo Place, Tribble said, but the majority of residents are students. The complex opened in fall 2007 and had a good response in the number of residents who renewed their leases last year, she said.

Connie Frazier, residential programs director at ASU, said that for at least the past eight years, on-campus housing has filled up. For a few years, the university actually could not admit all the housing applicants.

Frazier attributes part of the demand for on-campus housing to ASU's policy that those with less than 60 hours are required to live on campus. There are exceptions to the rule - those whose families live within 100 miles of the school and those who are in the military or are married don't have to live on campus - but for the most part, people oblige.

"A lot of students find it attractive because they are right next to classes, utilities are paid for and we offer meal plans," Frazier said.

She said the university does not consider the new housing outfits, such as The Grove and Angelo Place, competition because they typically target older students.

On-campus housing also is attractive to younger students because it offers programs and activities that allow students to meet new people and get involved with campus organizations.

"When you live on campus," Frazier said, "the university isn't your destination, it's your neighborhood."

Joseph C. Rallo, ASU president, said he met with representatives from The Grove and supports their plans, saying that Campus Crest's take on ASU's growth is a nice validation of the efforts the university is making to grow student enrollment. The complex is not affiliated with ASU.

"Anything that adds student housing is good," Rallo said.

Centennial Village, ASU's new dormitory that opened in the fall and houses 526 students, only adds about 100 beds to the campus because the dorm replaces older residence halls that are no longer in use, he said.

In talking with students, Rallo said, he has found that upperclassmen - juniors and seniors - typically like to live off campus but close to campus. What has been missing in recent years, he said, is decent housing close to the university.

"Money is usually not an issue," Rallo said. "They just want decent housing."

Rallo said it is possible that young people stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base may also be interested in living close to ASU with other people their age.